The Black Coats
by The Ascended Ancient
Summary: A government agency discovers Clark's secret. Do I really need to say anything else? COMPLETE!
1. Introduction

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Introduction**

All right, I'm gonna keep it short this time. Here are the disclaimers and the chapter list:

**Disclaimer**

1) I do not own any of the rights to _Smallville_. Only the brilliant dudes who came up with it have those rights.  
2) I do not own any rights to _Superman_ or any other related DC Comic material.  
3) I am not making _any_ money off of this. Which really, really sucks.  
4) ...there really ain't anything more to say.

**Chapter List**

**Introduction**  
**Chapter I: "Beginnings"**  
**Chapter II: "New Arrivals"**  
**Chapter III: "Dating"  
Chapter IV: "Discovery"**  
**Chapter V: "Suspicions"**  
**Chapter VI: "Investigation"**  
**Chapter VII: "Explanation"**  
**Chapter VIII: "Rescue"**  
**Chapter IX: "Searching"**  
**Chapter X: "Containment"**  
**Chapter XI: "Captivity"**  
**Chapter XII: "Records"**  
**Chapter XIII: "Theft"**  
**Chapter XIV: "Secrets"**  
**Chapter XV: "The Cortex"**  
**Chapter XVI: "Endings"**  
**Epilogue**


	2. Chapter I: Beginnings

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter I: "Beginnings"**

**NOTE: This is set during the fourth season. It takes place between the episodes "Run" and "Transference"**

Cut to Smallville, Kansas. It's a nice, quiet little town. There's a general store, and a supermarket. And there are farms. Lots and _lots_ of farms. In fact, the only thing special about Smallville was that it was the cream corn capital of the world.

That all changed in 1989. That year, a massive meteor shower hit this small town. It came without warning, and before anyone knew what was going on the town was in flames. As all this was happening, Jonathan and Martha Kent were on their way home from a trip to the nearby city of Metropolis. Suddenly a meteor hits nearby, overturning their truck. Thankfully neither one was hurt. As they lay in the damaged vehicle, they saw the last thing they could've expected: a young boy walking towards them. The Kents get out of their truck and go over to him. But even more shocking than the boy is the vehicle he used to get there. It's an alien spaceship. Thinking quick, Jonathan and Martha borrows another truck (the driver had died during the meteor shower) and uses it to bring the spaceship - and the boy - home.

Several days later, Jonathan and Martha Kent, with the help of a powerful friend, forge adoption papers. Newly-named Clark Kent is officially their son.

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On the Smallville High football field, the team prepares for an upcoming game. Clark Kent, a Senior and the team's quarterback, calls the play.

"22! 53! Hut!"

The ball is snapped, and Clark takes a few steps back. He scans the field, finds an open player, pulls back his arm, and lets loose with a perfect pass. The receiver catches the ball and is taken down at the other team's 18 yard line. From the sidelines, Assistant Coach Jason Teague cheers.

"Way to go, Kent!" Jason shouts.

"Thanks, Coach," Clark replies.

"Alright, guys," the coach continues. "I think that's enough for today. Hit the showers, people!"

Clark and the rest of the football team head for the showers.

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As he walks away from the school, Clark reflects on how glad he is that he can play for the school football team. It hadn't been easy getting his dad to let him try out, but everything worked out for the best.

Clark glances around to make sure no one's watching, then starts to run at super-sonic speeds. Yes, super-sonic. Clark, as was mentioned earlier, isn't human. He's from a planet called Krypton. Many years ago, some unknown disaster destroyed Clark's home planet. His parents, Jor-El and Lara, sent their only son, Kal-El (Clark's birth name), to Earth so that he could survive the devastation. And though he looks human, Clark possesses a number of supernatural powers. He can move faster than the speed of sound, he's super-strong, his skin is virtually impenetrable, and he has x-ray and heat vision. Despite all of this, Clark has one weakness: Kryptonite. When Krypton was destroyed, huge chunks of irradiated rock from the planet was sent out in all directions. This rock, called Kryptonite, is what hit Smallville back in '89. There are two kinds of Kryptonite: green and red. Green Kryptonite weakens Clark and, with extended exposure, can kill him. Red Kryptonite strips him of his inhibitions, making him a reckless, super-powerful man. So, in summary, Smallville is the one place on earth with a virtually limitless supply of the only substance that can harm or affect the judgment of Clark Kent.

And so Clark super-speeds home to his parents farm, unaware of the new danger looming on the horizon.

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On the outskirts of Smallville, several large trucks drive up. The come to a stop on the edge of a forest. From one of the cabs, a man steps out. He's wearing a black trench coat with a red shirt on underneath it. His pants are black, and he's wearing black gloves, a black winter hat, and dark sunglasses. He looks around, surveying the area.

"This is perfect," the man says. "We'll set up the base here."

"Yes, sir," a similarly dressed man says. The first man walks away from the trucks. Another man walks up to him.

"Colonel," the second man begins, "do you really think that these meteors had as much of a biogenic effect as they say?"

"I don't know, Major," the colonel says. "But that's what we're here to find out." The major nods.

"Investigate and contain by any means necessary," he says.

"Exactly," the colonel replies.

**End of Chapter I**

**Author's Note: So, what's up with these military guys? Are they the ones that are going to discover Clark's secret? Stay tuned for "New Arrivals", Chapter II of _The Black Coats_, where hopefully a bit more of the plot will unfold.**


	3. Chapter II: New Arrivals

_**The Black Coats**_

**Written By: The Ascended Ancient**

**Chapter II: "New Arrivals"**

In rural Smallville, the home of the Kent family is just one of many local farms. It's not that unique. There's a house, a barn, and fields.

It's to this innocuous piece of land that Clark Kent races to at super-sonic speeds. Slowing down as he approaches the house, he notices a humvee in the driveway. The tall, dark-haired teen cautiously opens the front door of his house and steps inside.

"Mom?" Clark calls.

"In here, Clark," Martha Kent replies. Clark walks around a corner and sees his mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table with another man. Clark's eyes widen in surprise when he recognizes him. It's Lieutenant General Sam Lane.

"Well," Clark says, "what brings you here, general?"

"Well, I was passing through town," Sam begins, "and I had to stop by and thank you guys for everything you did for Lois while she was in town."

"And as we keep telling you," Martha says, "it was no big deal."

"Even so," the general continues, "I'll be in town for a few weeks. If there's _anything_ I can do for you, just give me a call. Ok?"

"Of course," Jonathan Kent agrees.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, thank you for the coffe, but I think it's time for me to go." General Lane gets up and walks towards the door.

"Have a safe trip, general," Jonathan calls after him.

"Please, call me Sam." The general opens the door and steps out. The moment he's gone, Clark turns to his parents.

"What was that all about?" Clark asks.

"What do you mean, son?" Mr. Kent asks.

"Look, Lois and I talked a lot about her dad," Clark explains, "and the one thing I got the impression he doesn't do is drop by for a cup of coffe."

"Well, we did help out his daughter while she was here, Clark," Martha tells him. "Maybe he just wanted to thank us?"

"Maybe," Clark admits. The look on his face shows that he doesn't believe this.

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The next day, the bell rings in Smallville High. As it does, Chloe Sullivan, Smallville's aspiring reporter, walks towards the office of the Torch. The Torch is her own little newspaper. Actually, it's the school's newspaper, but with the amount of work she's put into it it's become her own.

As Chloe steps into the room, she sees Clark Kent, one of her fellow reporters, hard at work on one of her iMacs.

"Well, you're here early," Chloe comments. She walks over and looks over his shoulder. "Why are you browsing military websites?"

"Your uncle Sam showed up at my house for a cup of coffe yesterday," Clark tells her.

"You're kidding, right?" Chloe asks.

"No, I'm not," Clark tells her. "I'm trying to find out if there's any kind of unusual military activity in this area, but so far I'm coming up with nothing."

"That's 'cause you're not going to find anything on an open server," Chloe explains. "Here, let me."

Clark stands up and Chloe takes his seat.

"If anything's going on here," Chloe explains as she goes to work, "they'll probably have something about it on a secure message board." She presses a couple of buttons, and a military message board comes up on the screen.

"Wait, you're hacking into a secure military server?" Clark asks.

"Yep," the young reporter replies as she scrolls down the page. "Huh."

"What's 'huh'?" Clark asks.

"Two days ago someone calling himself "Uncle Sam" posted a warning to anyone with family in Smallville," Chloe tells him. Clark leans in for a better look as Chloe reads what's on the screen.

"'The Black Coats are coming. Get your families out.'"

"Cryptic, huh?" Clark comments. "I wonder what he's talking about."

"I don't know," Chloe tells him. "But last night my uncle shows up at my place telling my dad to get out of town."

"Whoa," Clark says. "What'd your dad say?"

"He told him that he wasn't going to jeopardize his new job by leaving town right now," Chloe explains. "And that didn't sit too well with Uncle Sam."

"Well, I guess we should keep an eye out," Clark says. "Knowing this town, whatever this thing is can't be good."

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Later that night, having finally finished the editing of the latest issue of the Torch, Chloe Sullivan walks through the parking lot of Smallville High to her car. As she reaches the vehicle, she notices a man running towards her.

"Chloe Sullivan!" the man calls out.

"Yeah," Chloe replies.

"Thank god I found you," the man tells her as he walks up to the young journalist. "The principal told me you were leaving, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to catch up to you."

"Who are you?" Chloe asks him.

"My name is Joshua Hammond," the man replies, "and I am _very _interested in your work."

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In the town of Smallville, one of the top teen hangouts is the Talon, a local coffee shop. The Talon, currently run by Martha Kent, is a place where a good portion of the student body goes at some point in time after school.

This evening, at a table in the Talon, Chloe Sullivan and Joshua Hammond are continuing their conversation from the parking lot over some delicious lattés.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Chloe tells him with a laugh. "You came all the way from Metropolis just to find me?"

"Of course," Josh tells her. "I read some of your work about the effects that the meteor shower has had on the people of Smallville and I _had_ to come."

"Ah, so your a big fan of the unusual, huh?" Chloe asks.

"Not usually," the blonde man admits. "But your stories are more than the average supernatural fairytales. They're well-researched, and proof of what you're talking about isn't hard to find on my own. Even the most crazy-sounding of your stories had hard facts backing them up." He takes a deep breath. "Miss Sullivan..."

"Please, call me Chloe."

"Well, Chloe, I am a reporter for the Daily Planet," Josh explains. "My editor has asked me to write an article on the weirdness of our small-town neighbor."

"So nice to know the Planet has finally taken an interest in what goes on around here," Chloe remarks. "Even if it is motivated by a desire to mock the very real things that happen here."

"Chloe, I have no intention of mocking the problems of Smallville," Josh explains. "While I can't guarantee what my editor will do, I pomise to do everything in my power to preserve the integrity of this story." They both just stare at each other for a moment.

"Wow," Chloe says with a chuckle, breaking the silence. "Talk about journalistic integrity, huh?"

"I really believe that this is a story that needs to be told," Josh says gravely, "and told in a serious manner. Please, Chloe Sullivan, will you help me?" Chloe smiles.

"Absolutely," she replies. Josh smiles.

"So, um, what do you say to dinner tomorrow night?" he asks. "We can discuss the strangeness of Smallville over the best food that a mediocre reporter's salary can buy." They both laugh.

"I'd love to," Chloe tells him.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, then."

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Elsewhere in Smallville, the soldiers that arrived the previous day drive a jeep down into a meteor crater. When they reach the bottom the doors open and four soldiers get out. They bring shovels and boxes with them and start to dig into the soil. From the dirt they pull out Kryptonite and toss it into the boxes. They dig up more Kryptonite. And more Kryptonite. And more Kryptonite.

**End of Chapter II**

**Author's Note: So far so good. What are these soldiers doing? How will Chloe's interview with Josh go? And when will Clark's secret be revealed? Stay tuned for "Dating", Chapter III of The Black Coats.**


	4. Chapter III: Dating

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter III: "Dating"**

Smallville. For the past sixteen years it has been the site of many strange mutations occurring in otherwise innocuous people. The meteor shower did that to them. The Kryptonite that is scattered all over town has released radiation that has altered people, and for the most part these changes are not good.

But for the students of Smallville High, the fact that they are in an area exposed to previously-unknown cosmic radiation is the least of their worries. The only things they're worried about... are the normal things that teenagers worry about.

"So he asked you out on a date?" Lana Lang asks.

"Not exactly," Chloe replies. "I mean, he asked me to dinner to discuss all the weird stuff going on in Smallville. That's not exactly a date, is it?"

"No, asking you to _lunch_ wouldn't be a date," Lana explains. "Dinner... it's a little more serious."

"Jeez, since when are you all 'love doctor'?" Chloe asks with a chuckle. Lana shrugs.

"A summer in Paris... it's definitely enlightening," the dark-haired girl tells her friend.

"Oooh," Chloe says with a wicked smile. "I smell a _major_ exposé here. 'Lana Lang hooks up with cute French guy'." Lana laughs.

"I did _not_ hook up with a cute French guy," she tells the nosy reporter.

"So, what, you went to the world-renowned 'city of love' and spent all your time studying?" Chloe asks incredulously.

"Look, I was trying to put a relationship behind me, not jump into a new one," Lana explains. Chloe looks at her understandingly. For quite a while, Lana and Clark had been close. But Clark wasn't the most reliable boyfriend in the world, so they broke it off.

In his defense, most of what really upset Lana during their short-lived relationship wasn't really his fault. He just couldn't tell her the truth about what really was happening (He has all these super-powers, remember?).

"Lana, you can't spend the rest of your life avoiding guys," Chloe tells her in a more serious tone. "Sooner or later, you have to go for it."

"I know," Lana tells her. "I'm just waiting for the right guy, ok?"

"Suit yourself." Chloe pauses for a moment. "So, what do you think I should wear to dinner tonight?"

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On the outskirts of Smallville is the last building anyone would expect to see in a small, Kansas town: a Scottish castle. Amazing as it sounds, the building was transported overseas brick-by-brick and re-built there by corporate billionaire Lionel Luthor. With Lionel's recent imprisonment, the castle (and his company) are in the sole possession of his son, Alexander "Lex" Luthor.

In Lex's office, the young C.E.O. of LuthorCorp was hard at work trying to make sense of an ancient map he had recently come into possession of. The map was supposed to lead to one of three stones of great power. Many had hunted for these stones over the years without success, but Lex was determined to succeed where they had failed. As he works, the doors to his study swing open, and a man in a military uniform walks in. Lex looks up from his computer and quickly clears the map from the screen.

"Alexander Luthor?" the soldier asks.

"Please, call me Lex," the young billionaire says in his signature calm, somewhat charismatic tone.

"I am Major Jeremy Woodward, United States Army," the soldier says. "I would like to ask you a few questions about your research of the meteor rocks.

"Please, have a seat." The major sits down. "So," Lex continues, "what do you want to know?"

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In a local apartment complex is the residence of the Sullivans. Ever since Chloe Sullivan backed out of a deal with Lionel Luthor, her father has had difficulty finding a job (He was blacklisted). Thus the bad financial situation.

In her room, Chloe prepares for her upcoming dinner with her new reporter friend. She is wearing nicer-than-normal cloths, but not anything that she would wear to a formal event.

"Chloe!" her father calls. "Come say hi to your uncle!"

"Of all the times for him to come visist us," Chloe mutters as she daps on a bit more makeup, "why now?"

She gets up and walks out into the main room of the apartment. Standing there with her father is General Sam Lane.

"Chloe!" Sam greets.

"Hey Uncle Sam." They hug.

"Looks like someone's all dressed up," the general comments as they separate.

"Yeah, well, I'm about to have an interview with a reporter for the Daily Planet," Chloe explains. "I kinda wanna make an impression."

"Always the little journalist, Chloe," Sam says with a chuckle. Suddenly there's a knock at the door.

"That's probably him," Chloe says excitedly. She walks over to the door and opens it. On the other side of the threshold is Josh.

"Ah, Miss Sullivan," he greats her. "I see you're ready for our interview."

"Absolutely," Chloe says, struggling to contain her excitement.

"Um..." Sam interrupts. "Th-This is the reporter your meeting?" The look on the general's face is one of pure loathing.

"Yeah," Chloe replies.

"We should probably go," Josh tells Chloe while staring coldly at the general. "My reservation is in half-an-hour."

"Sure, Josh." Chloe turns to her dad. "Bye Dad." She hugs him, then walks out the door with Josh. Once the door is closed, Sam turns to Mr. Sullivan.

"You're letting her be alone with _him_?" Sam shouts.

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Sullivan asks.

"The damned Black Coats," Sam mutters as he walks out the door.

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On the outskirts of town, the military camp that was set up several nights ago is extremely active. All around the base soldiers in black trench coats, red shirts, ski hats, and sunglasses are patrolling. They carry some pretty nasty looking rifles. Within the base, soldiers wearing just the red shirts are busy running to and fro about the complex.

In the base's control room, soldiers are busily operating numerous high-tech computer terminals. The door to the room opens, and another soldier walks in. He takes off his hat and sunglasses and tosses his coat on the back of an empty chair, revealing that it's Major Woodward.

"How are we doing, corporal?" he asks another soldier. The corporal spins his chair around to face the major.

"As of 1900 hours we are fully operational, sir," the soldier replies.

"Excellent," Major Woodward tells the corporal as he pulls up a chair next to him. He drops the all-business tone he'd been using. "So, uh, between you and me, how long do you think it'll take the colonel to get his little date to give it up?" The corporal chuckles.

"I give it until at least 2200," the corporal replies.

"C'mon, Bobby, you really think it'll take him that long?" the major asks.

"Jer, he just met the girl," Corporal Bobby explains. "And it takes time and patience to seduce a woman."

"I never had any trouble getting girls to give it up to me," the major points out.

"Dude, the only girls you've every done it with are hookers," Bobby tells him.

"True," Jeremy admits. A few moments later they both break out laughing.

"Ok, man," the major says when he composes himself. "I need to go check on R&D. See ya later."

Major Woodward gets up, puts on his coat, and walks out of command center.

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At around eleven o'clock at night, Joshua Hammond pulls his car up in front of the Sullivan's apartment complex. From the passenger seat, Chloe looks at him sadly.

"Boy," she says with a nervous laugh. "Time certainly did fly."

"Yes, it most certainly did," Josh agrees. "I gotta say, you were _very_ helpful."

"Yeah, well, no one knows the weirdness of Smallville better than me." Chloe lets out another nervous laugh. "So, um, I guess this is where I get out, huh?" She stares over at Josh for a moment, and he stares back at her. "Bye."

Chloe opens the door. Before she can get out of the car, Josh reaches out and rests his hand on her shoulder. Chloe turns around and stares at him again. They slowly lean towards one another until their lips meet. It's a brief kiss, but it is quickly followed by a great many more passionate ones. Chloe closes the car door, and Josh leans his seat back.

**End of Chapter III**

**Author's Note: So, is Chloe about to sleep with this guy? Who are these "Black Coats"? And why does General Lane hate them so much? Stay tuned for some answers (I think) in "Discovery", Chapter IV of _The Black Coats_.**

**Additional Note: I want some definite feedback on that scene in the command center of the military base. There are going to be quite a few scenes that could be considered somewhat vulgar in this story, but I hope I can do it artistically enough that the faint of heart won't shy away from it.**

**Another Note: Like all you other Smallville fans out there, I just watched the Season 5 premiere, and I have just one thing to say: UN-FREAKIN' BELIEVEABLE!**


	5. Chapter IV: Discovery

**_The Black Coats  
_Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter IV: "Discovery"**

Around midnight, on the outskirts of Smallville, a blue Mazda pulls up in front of the military compound. The door opens, and Joshua Hammond walks out of it. He approaches the guards, and they salute him.

Josh walks through the maze of temporary buildings that had been set up only a few nights ago until he reaches the command center. As he enters the heart of the compound, everyone stands up and salutes him.

"At ease," Josh tells them. From one end of the room, Major Jeremy Woodward approaches him.

"Colonel Hammond," Woodward greets. "Did you learn anything of value from Miss Sullivan?"

"Of course," Hammond replies. "She is, after all, the foremost expert on the weirdness of Smallville. Did you learn anything from Lex Luthor?"

"Not really," Jeremy admits. "He wasn't the most cooperative person."

"We'll need to take a more direct approach with him later," Josh tells his comrade.

"Yeah, well, let's worry about the job tomorrow," Jeremy says with a lecherous grin. "Right now I want some details."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Josh says with mock-indignation.

"Yeah right," Woodward scoffs. "You honestly tryin' to tell me that you _didn't_ get laid tonight?"

"I honestly didn't get laid tonight, Jer," the colonel tells him.

"Damn, man, this chick must be one tough cookie." Jeremy shakes his head. "Did she at least put out anything?"

"Oh, she put out quite a bit." The two men laugh.

"So, how long do you think she can hold onto her pants?" Jeremy asks, still trying to compose himself.

"Oh, one more day, _maybe_ two." They both break out laughing again. Josh tries to say something, but he's laughing too hard. A few moments later he composes himself.

"I-I need to get some sleep, man," Josh tells his second-in-command. "So do all of you. Switch over to the beta shift."

"Yes, sir." Major Woodward salutes his superior. Then Josh walks out of the room.

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In his quarters, Josh reaches under his bunk and pulls out an ornately decorated box. He opens the box and pulls out an old piece of rolled-up parchment. Josh unrolls the parchment and stares intently at it.

It's a map. A really, _really_ old map. What's unique about it, however, is that the map is covered in Kryptonian symbols. Josh brings the map over to a larger topographical map of Smallville. He studies both maps intently.

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Later that night, Joshua Hammond drives up to an empty field. He gets out of his car with a shovel, walks out a few feet, and starts to dig. He digs for half an hour before finally hitting something solid. He scrapes away at the dirt, revealing a large stone slab buried many feet underground.

Josh reaches down and runs his hand over a section of the slab, brushing dirt out of a rectangular grove in it. The colonel pulls out a knife and slides it into the grove. He applies pressure, and the rectangular section of the stone slab breaks free. Josh reaches down into the hole he just opened and pulls out an oddly shaped clear crystal. A frightening smile breaks out over the colonel's face as he studies what he has just unearthed. Then he puts it in his pocket and pulls himself out of the hole.

**End of Chapter IV**

**Author's Note: Well, wasn't that a short yet interesting chapter? So, will Josh get Chloe to sleep with him? What are these "Black Coats" doing in Smallville? And when will they learn Clark's secret? The answers are coming, I promise. Coming soon: "Suspicions", Chapter V of The Black Coats.**

**Additional Note: If at all possible, I'd like some constructive criticism in the reviews that you, my loyal readers, are leaving. I just wanna know how you're viewing the story. Don't worry, I won't hold back chapters if you don't. I'd just appreciate it.**


	6. Chapter V: Suspicions

**_The Black Coats  
_Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter V: "Suspicions"**

Smallville, Kansas. A small town that has recently become the target of forces more dark and threatening than anyone realizes. The Black Coats are in town.

At Smallville High School, Clark Kent runs to catch up with Chloe Sullivan.

"Hey," Clark greets. "I heard you had a big night yesterday."

"You have no idea, Clark," Chloe tells him with a laugh. "I was interviewed for an article in the Daily Planet."

"Wow." Clark is impressed. "Congratulations, Chloe. This is, like, a dream come true for you."

"I know." Chloe beams with pride. "Look, I have to get to class. See you later, Clark."

"See you." Clark and Chloe go their separate ways. Clark rounds the corner and is stopped by a man in a black suit. Another man in an identical outfit stands nearby.

"Clark Kent?" the first man asks.

"Yeah, that's me," Clark replies. The man pulls out an FBI badge.

"Agent Stiller, FBI," the man tells him. "This is my partner, Agent Black. We need you to come with us."

"What's this all about?"

"We just want to ask you a few questions," Agent Black explains. "It won't take more than an hour or two."

"Ok," Clark says warily as the FBI agents lead him away.

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Later that day, in the office of the Torch, Chloe Sullivan is hard at work on an article when Lana Lang walks in. Chloe looks up from her computer as her friend walks toward her.

"Lana," Chloe greets, "what brings you to this corner of the world?"

"Coach Teague wants to talk to Clark," Lana explains, "and I said I'd find him."

"Well, our new assistant football coach will have to wait," Chloe says, "'cause Clark Kent has left the building."

"What are you talking about?" Lana asks.

"This morning the FBI was swarming over the school," the blonde reporter explains. "They pulled over a dozen students out of school for questioning. Clark was one of them."

"Wow." Lana is surprised by this turn of events. She looks over at Chloe's computer, where she's working on the cover page of the next issue of the Torch. The headline says 'FBI Interrogates Students'.

"I see you're hard at work making people aware of what's happening," Lana says with a smirk. Chloe shrugs.

"The people have a right to know," she says.

"And you just _love_ telling them." Both girls break out laughing.

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The FBI lied. They didn't spend two hours interrogating Clark. They spent _five_ hours interrogating him. They asked him about every strange event that had happened in Smallville over the past three years, and how he was involved in it.

As Clark steps out of the sheriff's office, he lets out a sigh of relief. The interrogation was too long, and as it wore on it became harder and harder to come up with adequate excuses. As he walks away from the office he notices the two FBI guys walking towards a black, unmarked car. His super hearing comes active and he picks up what they're saying.

"...too easy," says Agent Black.

"Of course it was," his partner agrees. "I mean, these small-town people have no idea how FBI agents act."

"Which is why it was so easy to impersonate them." Both agents burst out laughing.

A look of concern comes over Clark's face. The pseudo-agents get into their car and drive off. Before they can get far away Clark super-speeds after them. He's careful to keep to the side of the road, out of sight.

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The F.B.I. car pulls up in front of the Black Coats' compound on the outskirts of town. On the fringes of a nearby forest, Clark Kent watches carefully. He sees a man walk out to great them. His appearance is concealed by the black ski hat and sunglasses he's wearing. Clark focuses his x-ray vision to see the man's full face. He's a blonde, fair-skinned man, and the agents follow him into the compound. Clark, deciding he's seen enough, super-speeds away.

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General Sam Lane chose the Smallville Inn to stay at because of its central location in the town. From here he could reach any point in town in under thirty minutes. He expected to be the one going to people, not the other way around. So when there ws a knock on his door, he was a little surprised.

General Lane opens his door cautiously, then relaxes when he sees who's there.

"Mr. Kent," Sam says to Clark. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"I'm sorry to intrude, sir," Clark tells him, "but I think we need to talk."

"About what, Mr. Kent?"

"About the military camp set up outside of town." The two men stare at each other for a moment. Then the general sighs.

"Look, Kent, if you care about your life and the lives of your parents," General Lane says coldly, "you'll stay away from that camp." Clark glares at the general.

"Are you threatening me?" he asks.

"No," Lane replies. "I'm simply telling you what they'll do to you if you keep snooping around." He sighs again. "The people running that camp are a dangerous element. That's all you need to know." Clark nods.

"So, why are you here, anyway?" the young man asks. "If you're not working with these guys, then why are you in Smallville?"

"I'm here to make sure that my family isn't hurt," the general explains coldly. "Good day, Mr. Kent." General Lane closes the door to his room, leaving Clark standing out in the hallway.

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Clark runs down the streets of Smallville at super-sonic speeds, heading for the school. More specifically, he's heading for the Torch office. He gets there, and the lights are out. He turns them on and gasps. Chloe is seated in a guy's lap, and they're making out. This isn't a light make-out session either. What they're doing is serious. Clark clears his throat, and Chloe spins around to look at him.

"Oh, uh, hi Clark," she says, getting off of the guy's lap. "We were just, uh..."

"Making out?" It was more of a statement than a question. Chloe nods. "In the future," Clark advises, "you should probably choose a place slightly more private than the Torch to do that."

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind." Chloe's still a little nervous. The guy she was making out with stands up. Clark gets one look at him and his eyes widen. It's the same guy he saw at the military compound.

"Clark, I'd like you to meet Josh Hammond," Chloe tells him. "He's a reporter for the Daily Planet."

"I see," Clark says, trying to stay cheerful. He shakes Josh's hand. "Clark Kent. Assistant to the journalistic genius over here." He points Chloe as he says this. "So, what brings you to Smallville?"

"I'm here to do a story on the weird events that have been happening here for the past fifteen years," Josh explains. "Chloe's been a, uh, big help with that."

"Yeah, I can see." Clark stares Josh in the eye for a moment. "Look, I need to get home and do my chores. I'll see you tomorrow Chloe."

"See you tomorrow, Clark," Chloe tells him. Clark turns and walks out the door.

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On the outskirts of Smallville, in the Research and Development division of the Black Coats' base, a group of military scientists are studying the Kryptonite. They take readings with all sorts of high-tech devices and write down their findings on their clipboards.

Elsewhere in the base, LuthorCorp scientists who have worked with Kryptonite in the past are locked up. Soldiers are in their cells, beating information out of them.

Joshua Hammond walks into the base and enters his quarters. When the door is closed behind him, he pulls out the ornate box with the map in it. Opening the box, he pulls out the old map and brings it back over to the big topographical map of Smallville. On the map are four very ornate symbols that stand out. On the topographical map there are four circles in more or less the same places as the old map. Josh pulls out a sharpie and puts a big X on one of the circles. Then he puts the map back in the box and slides it back under his bed. As he does so, his hand brushes up against the crystal he found the night before, which is taped to the underside of the bed.

**End of Chapter V**

**Author's Note: This story just gets darker and darker. So, what's up with these crystals? What's Clark going to do now that he knows that the guy Chloe is unofficially dating is a Black Coat? Will General Lane actually do anything about the Black Coats, or will he just yell at everyone the whole time? And what do the scientists hope to discover by studying the Kryptonite? Stay tuned for some answers (I think) in "Investigation", Chapter VI of _The Black Coats_.**


	7. Chapter VI: Investigation

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter VI: "Investigation"**

In his hotel room, General Samuel Lane struggles with a decision. He knows what the Black Coats are likely to do to Smallville, and he desperately wants to stop them. However, in all likelihood, any attempt to bring them down will just get him on their radar again, something the good general didn't want. For over half an hour after Clark left the general just sat on his bed. Then he got up and walked out of his room.

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In Smallville High, students begin to rush out of the building as the bell that signified the end of the school day sounds. Amid the throng, Clark Kent struggles to catch up to Chloe Sullivan.

"Chloe!" he shouts. She turns around and looks at him.

"Hey, Clark," Chloe says. "What's up?"

"Chloe, I know you probably don't want to hear this," Clark begins, "but I think your..." He trails off, staring at something over Chloe's shoulder. Chloe turns around and sees Josh walking towards her.

"Hey, Chlo," the colonel says enthusiastically. "Ready for that afternoon in Metropolis I promised you?"

"Absolutely!" Chloe's very excited. She turns to Clark. "I'm going to co-write Josh's story with him at the Daily Planet office."

"Oh," Clark says. "Um, wow, Chloe, this is... really great." Chloe looks puzzled.

"Clark... is something wrong?" she asks.

"No," Clark tells her. "No, everything's just fine."

"C'mon, Chlo, I'm on a deadline," Josh tells her with a chuckle. Chloe turns to go with him.

"Bye, Clark!" she calls back over her shoulder. Clark watches them leave warily.

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Clark walks down the streets of Smallville at a slow, leisurely pace. People pass him on their way to various places, and Clark ignores them. He looks very worried. Suddenly he notices something out of the corner of his eye. He turns and sees a red Chevy drive by. At the wheel is General Lane. Before the car can get too far away, Clark follows it. He runs through the crowd of people at normal, human speeds, never taking his eyes off the general's car.

Eventually, General Lane leaves the heart of town and starts to head through a more rural area. Keeping out of sight, Clark uses his super-speed to stay very close to the general's car.

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General Sam Lane pulls up in front of the Black Coat's compound without incident. He steps out of his car and is immediately approached by two armed soldiers.

"Excuse me, sir," the first soldier says, "but no civilians are allowed past this point. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

"I'm not a damned civilian!" the general says, clearly agitated. "I'm Lieutenant General Samuel Lane, United States Army. I want to speak to Colonel Hammond."

"I'm sorry, sir," the first soldier apologizes, "but there is no one here by that name."

"I know he's in charge of your operation, private!" The general is growing impatient. "Tell him Uncle Sam is here for a little talk. Believe me, he'll want to speak to me." The first soldier nods to the second one, and the second soldier heads inside the compound.

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At the fringes of the nearby woods, Clark watches all of this carefully. He sees the second soldier come back with another man, and uses his super-hearing to listen in on their conversation.

"Major Woodward," General Lane greets. "I guess your boss was feeling too important to meet with me."

"Colonel Hammond is currently out on assignment," the major tells him.

"Would that assignment have anything to do with my niece?" the general growls.

"I'm not at liberty to say, sir," Jeremy replies.

"Listen, I still remember Little Rock," the general says quietly. "I am _not_ about to allow that to happen here in Smallville."

"I don't think you have any choice in the matter, Sam," Woodward tells him. "The Internal Threat Control is not subject to the laws of other branches of the military."

"That decision was the biggest mistake our government ever made," Sam growls.

"The Powers That Be don't seem to think so." The major's tone is smug. "And I think they'd look down on you for that opinion, general." Woodward steps closer to Samuel. "Be careful, Sam. You're walking a dangerous path."

"I can take care of myself. Goodbye, Jeremy." General Lane turns around and walks back to his car. He drives off.

In the woods, Clark super-speeds off into the distance.

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In Metropolis, Joshua Hammond and Chloe Sullivan step into Josh's apartment. They're locked in a passionate embrace. They close the door and walk over towards the bed, never once separating their lips. Josh pushes Chloe down on the bed and climbs on top of her. He leans in and they kiss some more.

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General Sam Lane gets out of his car in front of the Smallville Inn. Before he can enter the hotel, Clark approaches him.

"General Lane," Clark says, "what happened at Little Rock?" General Lane just stares at Clark.

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Josh Hammond's apartment is quite a mess. Several pieces of furniture have been overturned, and various articles of clothing are scattered all over the floor. In his bed, Josh lies with an arm around a sleeping Chloe. There's a blanket over them, but it's clear they're both naked underneath. Suddenly we hear a beeping sound. Josh gets up and walks over to his pants. From the pocket he pulls out a cell phone. He walks over to the corner of the room and takes the call.

"This is Hammond," Josh says into the phone. He's quiet for a moment, then says, "Understood." He walks back over to the bed and slides up against Chloe. He wraps his arm around her.

A few moments later, the door to the room is broken in, and a bunch of soldiers in black trench coats storm in. Chloe is startled awake, and Josh pretends to be the same.

"Who the hell are you?" he demands. The soldiers ignore him.

"By the authority of the government of the United States of America, you are both under arrest," one of the soldiers tells them. The other soldiers toss the two prisoners bathrobes, which Josh and Chloe put on. Their hands are then cuffed, and they're escorted out of the room.

**End of Chapter VI**

**Author's Note: Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events. So, what did happen at Little Rock? And what's going to happen to Chloe? Stay tuned, because the answers will be coming soon. "Explanation", Chapter VII of _The Black Coats_ is coming soon.**


	8. Chapter VII: Explanation

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter VII: "Explanation"**

"It was July of 1998," General Lane begins. He and Clark had relocated to his hotel room after Clark cornered him on the street, asking about the incident in Little Rock. "I was performing an inspection of a nearby military base when I first met them."

"Met who?" Clark asks.

"The Internal Threat Control," Lane replies, "better known as the 'Black Coats'. They're a branch of the government that has no rules. No laws, no restrictions... they're above it all. They're purpose is to identify threats within the United States and eliminate them using any means necessary." General Lane closes his eyes and sighs. "I learned all that over the course of several days. When I had the whole story, I was horrified." The general opens his eyes. "I wanted them stopped."

"What did you do?" Clark asks.

"I went to City Hall and gave the evidence I'd gathered on them to the Mayor," Sam says. "He promised to have it published in the local newspaper." He sighs again. "The very next day, the newspaper headline was 'Lawless Government Agency Comes to Little Rock'. I thought this would expose the Black Coats for what they were."

"And it backfired," Clark says. The general nods.

"It didn't take long for the I.T.C. to find out about the headline. When they did they stopped the newspaper distribution. And... and they killed everyone. Everyone who had seen the paper, everyone who was involved with its distribution. Everyone... except for me."

"Wait, how come I never heard about this?" Clark asks.

"The government put a total gag on all aspects of this incident," the general explains. "Anyone who tried to spread information about this was informed that they and their family would be killed." He sighs again. "As for me, they let me live. Joshua Hammond let me live."

"Chloe's new boyfriend?" Lane nods.

"He's the leader of the I.T.C. He knew that killing a three-star general would raise some eyebrows from the Joint Chiefs. But he made sure that I knew that my family wasn't so safe. H-He threatened Lois, if I ever..." Sam can't continue reliving this painful memory. "All my life, I was the toughest. It's how I got where I am. And these guys... the bullied me into doing exactly what they wanted." He looks up at Clark. "Look, Clark, the Black Coats are more trouble than you can handle. Please, for the sake of your parents, don't go after them."

"All right, general," Clark agrees. "I'll stay out of their way."

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In the Kent house, Clark tells his parents everything Sam Lane told him. They listen with shock and horror.

"...I just wish this was something that could help me get them out of Smallville," Clark finishes.

"Now, son," Jonathan Kent protests, "I think these guys are a little to dangerous for you to be messing with."

"Their leader is manipulating a friend of mine," Clark says coldly. "I've gotta help her."

"Clark, we're not saying don't try to look out for Chloe," Martha Kent explains. "We just don't want you going up against these Black Coats single-handedly."

"Mom..."

"Clark, from what General Lane told you," Jonathan says, "it sounds like these Black Coats will kill a lot of innocent people if they think they're in danger of being exposed."

"He's right, Clark." Martha stands up and walks over to her son. "If you do this, a lot of innocent people could die." Clark looks her in the eye.

"Mom," Clark begins, "even if I don't do this a lot of innocent people could die." They just stand there, staring at each other for a few moments, until Martha breaks the silence.

"You need to do what you think is right, Clark," she tells him. "Just be careful about what you do."

"I will."

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In the office of the Torch, Clark Kent waits for Chloe Sullivan to arrive. He looks up at a clock that says 2:59 on it. Suddenly he hears the door open.

"Chlo..." Clark turns around and sees that it's Lana. "Oh, uh, hi Lana."

"Hey, Clark," Lana says. "Where's Chloe?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Clark tells her. "I've been waiting here for almost an hour and she hasn't shown up."

"That's not like her," Lana says. "But maybe she has something else to do right now."

"Yeah," Clark mutters. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"What?" Lana asks. Clark sighs.

"You know that reporter from the Daily Planet?" Lana nods. "Well, he and Chloe are unofficially dating."

"Yeah," Lana says, "I, uh, saw that one coming a mile away."

"The problem is he's not who he claims to be," Clark tells her.

"What do you mean, Clark?"

"I just had a long talk with Chloe's uncle," Clark explains. "And he told me that our friend Mr. Hammond is more than just a reporter."

"Well, what is he?"

"It's safer if you don't know, Lana." Lana walks over to Clark.

"Clark, Chloe's my friend," she says sternly. "If she's in trouble, I want to help." They stare at each other for a moment.

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That afternoon, at the Black Coat compound, Chloe Sullivan, still wearing only a bathrobe, lies in a small, dark cell. She looks very frightened.

Elsewhere in the base, Josh Hammond is having a few drinks with his buddies, going over all the 'details' of his night with Chloe. They're all having a wonderful time.

Later that night, Josh walks into his quarters. His cloths are dirt stained as he walks over to his bed and slides under it. Where there used to be just one crystal taped to the underside of the bed, now there's two. Josh reaches into his pocket and pulls out a third.

**End of Chapter VII**

**Author's Note: Well, Clark's goin' after the Black Coats, and Lana's backing him up. Chloe is locked in a cell, and Josh is still gathering those crystals. What are they, and why is he hiding them under his bed? And how will Clark save Chloe? All this and more in "Rescue", Chapter VIII of _The Black Coats_.**


	9. Chapter VIII: Rescue

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter VIII: "Rescue"**

In his office at the Luthor Mansion, Lex Luthor studies the screen of his computer. He's doing a Google search for 'Major Jeremy Woodward'.

He sighs and gives up his search just before the door to his study opens, and Lana Lang walks in.

"Lana," Lex greets. "What an unexpected pleasure."

"Chloe's in trouble," Lana tells him urgently. "I need your help."

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On the outskirts of town, at the Black Coats' compound, Clark Kent watches the base intently. His eyes follow the guards patrolling the perimeter, watching for his chance. Two guards walk past one another, and when the gap between them becomes wide enough, Clark super-speeds past them.

Once past the perimeter, Clark crouches behind some crates. Staying down, he uses his x-ray vision to look around. He sees other guards patrolling the interior of the base. Focusing on the buildings themselves, Clark sees the daily operations of the base. As he searches the compound, his sights rest on a room with a girl in it. He focuses a little more, and he sees that girl is Chloe.

Clark super-speeds over to the side of the building that Chloe's in. He peeks over at the entrance, but it's guarded by two soldiers. The only way to get in is to take them out. Suddenly, Clark's super-hearing picks up a woman's scream. He finds cover again and uses his x-ray vision to see inside the base. There are two men holding Chloe down as a third injects her with something. As soon as the third guy is finished injecting Chloe, she stops struggling. The three of them strap her to a gurney and start to wheel her out of there. Clark watches as they take her out of the building.

Seeing his chance, Clark super-speeds over to Chloe, knocks the three guards out of the way, grabs the gurney, and runs off with it. The guards get up and start shouting, and alarms go off all through the compound. But it's too late.

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Deep in the forest, Clark stops running and sets the gurney down. He starts to tear off the straps holding Chloe to it. As he does, she groans.

"Cl-Clark?" she mumbles. "Wh-What am I..." She passes out again. Clark, having finished breaking the restraints, picks her up and super-speeds away.

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At the Luthor Mansion, Lana paces anxiously in Lex's study, while the young Luthor sits behind his desk calmly.

"You know," Lex begins, "wearing out my floor isn't going to get Chloe here any faster." Lana lets out a nervous laugh.

"I know," she says. "I'm just worried, that's all." Lex stands up and walks toward her.

"Don't be," he tells her. "Clark's out making another one of his miraculous rescues right now, and in no time at all he and Chloe will be walking through that door. Ok?" Lana nods, and Lex walks back over to his desk. He doesn't sit down.

"You ever wonder how he does it?" Lex asks. Lana looks confused. "Clark," Lex explains. "He's always able to save the day just in the nick of time, and without a scratch on him. You have to wonder how he manages to pull that off." Lana nods.

"I do," she admits. "But that's Clark's secret, and when he's ready to tell me, I'll listen."

"You're a much better person than I am, Lana," Lex tells her. "A better friend."

"Why, because I didn't investigate Clark for three years?" Lex looks down. "Lex, there are things you just have to accept." Lana walks toward him. "Not every question has an answer. You can't waste away your whole life looking for answers you'll never find. Some things you just have to take on faith." Lex chuckles.

"Since when did you get so wise?" he asks with a smile. Before Lana can answer, the door swings open and Clark walks in. Chloe is in his arms. Lana sees Chloe's unconscious form and gasps.

"Oh my god," she says as she races over to Clark. "What did they do to her?"

"As far as I can tell, she's been drugged," Clark explains. "They were transporting her to another building. I intercepted them and got away with her."

"Put her down over here," Lex motions to the couch. "We don't have a lot of time."

"What do you mean?" Clark asks.

"My father kept very meticulous records of anything that might threaten his company," Lex explains. "The Internal Threat Control was one of them. According to his records they will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid being compromised. The only chance Chloe has is to get out of town tonight."

"I assume you have a ride all ready for her?" Clark asks.

"An unmarked Dodge Dakota that should be here in under five minutes," Lex replies. "As long as you weren't followed here, we should have no trouble getting Chloe out of town."

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While all the activity at the Luthor Mansion is going on, there's quite a lot going on back at the I.T.C. compound. Black Coats are running all over the place. Most of them are searching the nearby area for Chloe. The rest are on high alert in case this was the precursor for a bigger incursion.

In the command center of the base, Colonel Joshua Hammond talks to one of the soldiers who was escorting Chloe when she was rescued.

"So, let me get this straight," Josh begins. "You sedated the prisoner and strapped her to a fifteen-pound gurney. You took her outside, and the wind knocked you on your asses and swept the gurney away?"

"It wasn't the wind, sir," the soldier protests. "Something hit me."

"Something you couldn't see," the colonel says. "Which to me sounds like an excuse. Nothing more."

Over at one of the computer terminals, Major Woodward's face lights up.

"Um... sir?" the major asks. Hammond turns around to look at him. "I think the corporal may be telling the truth." Josh walks over to him.

"What have you got?" the colonel asks.

"I've been going over the footage from the surveillance cameras," Woodward explains. "Take a look at this." He plays a recording of the base perimeter. The recording plays for a moment, then Jeremy freezes it. He points to a shadowy area on the screen.

"Take a look at this," he says, magnifying the image. A person is now visible standing there. Jeremy rewinds the recording for a moment, then plays it frame-by-frame. For the first seven frames no one's there. Suddenly, in the eighth, a man just appears in the shot.

"Okay, Jer, what the hell is this?" Josh asks.

"I don't know, sir," Jeremy says. Josh looks at the image closely.

"If only his face was more visible," the colonel mutters. "Major, I want you to gather a team of video engineers and scan every frame of the archive footage from the time of Miss Sullivan's escape. Find me something I can use."

"Yes, sir," Woodward replies. Josh turns and walks away.

**End of Chapter VIII**

**Author's Note: Well, this certainly doesn't look good for Clark. So, will the Black Coats find out that Clark was the guy in the video? Stay tuned for "Searching", Chapter IX of _The Black Coats_.**


	10. Chapter IX: Searching

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient**

**Chapter IX: "Searching"**

**To The Die Hard: I appreciate your critical review of my story. There is a lot of stuff in it that requires the person reading it to suspend their disbelief. However, in defense of the Chloe-sleeps-with-Josh part, I do think that could happen. Remember how quickly Chloe fell for a guy like Ian in the second season. And in the fourth season, she said that she'd had sex with a guy she met during her Daily Planet internship between the second and third seasons. I'm not trying to call her a slut, I'm just saying that it's not so unbelievable that she might have had sex with Josh. As for General Lane telling Clark about the I.T.C., yeah, that's unrealistic, but I needed some way for Clark to get the facts about what was going on.**

In Smallville, Kansas, the whole town is in shock after reading today's newspaper headline. 'Student Reporter Kidnapped', it said. The story then went on to say that Chloe Sullivan, a reporter for the Smallville High Torch, was kidnapped while working with a Daily Planet reporter, Joshua Hammond. Josh Hammond, the paper says, was knocked out, and when he came to, Chloe was gone.

At the Luthor Mansion, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor discuss this turn of events.

"Clark," Lex begins, "the fact that Chloe's been reported kidnapped means that the police will be all over this town, looking for leads on where she is. As her friends, that means we'll be interviewed."

"So?" Clark says. "You covered your tracks, right?" Lex nods. "Then we shouldn't be worried. If they can't find any evidence..."

"Clark," Lex interrupts, "it'll be I.T.C. soldiers impersonating cops doing the interviews. If they even _think_ any of us are involved in what happened at their base, they'll lock us up."

"I don't think they can just round people up and lock them away," Clark says.

"They've done it before," Lex tells him. "Hell, they did it with half my research staff a few days ago."

"Wait, they did this and you didn't say anything?"

"What was I supposed to do, Clark?" Lex walks over to his desk and sits down. "If I made a big deal about it they'd come after me too."

"Lex," Clark tells him with conviction, "we need to stand up to these people. Otherwise they're going to keep doing what they're doing."

"Clark," Lex explains, "we're talking about an organization that was created during the Cold War to stop any Communist insurrections without any legal red tape. Now they're being used to stop potential terrorists, but with the same amount of latitude." He gets up again. "Clark, taking them on means your taking on the United States government. Do you really think that's a battle you can win?" Clark hangs his head.

"No," he admits.

"Then I suggest you take the advice I gave you last night." Clark looks up. "Get out of town, Clark. Do it now, while you still can." Clark sighs.

"Lex," he tries to explain, "I know I can't beat them, but I can't just let myself walk away from all this."

"Always trying to be the hero, huh, Clark?" Lex walks over to his friend and places his hands on Clark's shoulders. "Clark, unless you have some super-human powers up your sleeve, I suggest you leave these guys alone. You may have no problem putting yourself in danger, but what about your parents? Do you really want them to get hurt?"

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Clark super-speeds back to his house. When he gets there, he sees a black, unmarked car parked out in front. An expression of fear appears on his face for a moment, then he walks into the house.

"Mom!" he calls. "Dad!"

"In here, son!" Jonathan Kent calls from the kitchen. Clark walks in to see his parents seated at the table with the same two pseudo-F.B.I. agents who interviewed him the other day.

"Hello again, Clark," Agent Stiller greets. "Why don't you have a seat?" Clark reluctantly sits down.

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"I can't believe you did that, Clark," Jonathan Kent tells his son. The pseudo-F.B.I. agents had gone over an hour ago, and Clark was explaining what he had done last night.

"Dad, I had to do something," Clark protests. "Who knows what they were going to do to her."

"I understand that, Clark," Jonathan says, "but you have to understand that you may have done more harm than good. They're not just going to let this go."

"I know that, Dad." The look on Clark's face is one of fierce determination. "Which is why I'm going to stop them."

"How, Clark?" his mother asks. Clark hangs his head.

"I don't know yet." He looks up. "But I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"Clark, we can go to Metropolis tomorrow," Jonathan says. "I'm coming up to another doctor's appointment anyway. If you want to stay here, son, we can't stop you. But please, for the love of god be careful."

"I will, Dad," Clark tells him. "I will."

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At the Black Coats' compound, Major Jeremy Woodward and a team of technicians are hard at work analyzing surveillance camera footage from the previous night. On every computer in the room, shots of the mysterious intruder are being analyzed by face recognition software, trying to find a match.

"Uh, sir?" one of the soldiers says. Major Woodward walks over to his terminal.

"Did you find something?" the major asks.

"Yes, sir." The soldier points at the screen of his terminal. The major looks at what he's indicating and smiles.

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"You're sure that this is the man who snuck into our compound last night?" Colonel Joshua Hammond asks. He's in his quarters with Major Woodward, going over the file he had just been handed.

"Yes, sir," Jeremy replies. "The image that was analyzed is the most high-quality shot of him we have." Josh nods.

"All right, I want a level one retrieval operation started immediately," he orders.

"Level one, sir?" Woodward asks.

"This man snuck in, incapacitated three of my men, and got away with one of our prisoners without being seen," the colonel says. "I'm not taking any chances with him."

"Yes, sir." The major walks out of the colonel's room.

**End of Chapter IX**

**Author's Note: So, who did they identify? Was it Clark? And if it is Clark, how are they going to capture him? Stay tuned for "Containment", Chapter X of _The Black Coats_.**


	11. Chapter X: Containment

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter X: "Containment"**

At the Kent Farm, Clark helps his parents pack for their long weekend in Metropolis.

"You sure you can keep the farm in order while we're gone?" Jonathan asks as he finishes loading up the truck.

"Everything's going to be fine, Dad," Clark assures him. Jonathan gets in the truck, where Martha is already waiting.

"Be careful, son," Jonathan says.

"I will." Without another word, the Kents drive off.

A short distance away from the Kent farm, several Black Coats watch as Jonathan and Martha Kent drive away.

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Later that day, Clark is hard at work in the fields of the farm. Of course, with all the super-powers he has, farm work really isn't all that taxing for him.

Elsewhere on Kent property, a soldier takes aim with a tranquilizer dart gun. A moment later he fires. A dart filled with sedative shoots through the air, striking Clark in the back of his left shoulder. As the needle of the dart makes contact with Clark's shoulder, it shatters, and the rest of the dart bounces harmlessly off of him.

Startled, Clark spins around and looks for his assailant. The soldier, however, is hiding, and Clark can't find him. Fearing additional attacks, he races for the house.

Back in the field, the soldier pulls out his radio.

"Target has proven to be impervious to standard weaponry," he says.

"Understood," the man on the other end of the line replies. "Proceed with phase two."

"Yes, sir."

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Clark Kent turns the corner onto a major road. In the background we can see his house. He searches the horizon with his x-ray vision to make sure no one's watching, and then he takes off at super-sonic speeds.

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In the I.T.C. compound, Josh Hammond and Jeremy Woodward watch the drama unfold in the command center. They have an aerial view of Clark going super-sonic.

"I want all satellites turned towards Smallville!" Josh says urgently. "We cannot loose him!"

"Yes, sir," one of the other soldiers says. Josh turns to Jeremy.

"Lock down the town," he tells his second-in-command. "I don't want this kid getting out."

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Clark Kent races down the streets of Smallville at super-sonic speeds. It isn't long before he reaches a military roadblock at the fringe of the town. He simply jumps over them without even slowing down.

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"Sir," an I.T.C. soldier says to Josh Hammond, "we've been searching Smallville with our spy satellites for over four hours. There is no sign of Clark Kent." Josh sighs in frustration.

"So either he's gone underground," he says, "or he got past our roadblocks."

"The kid is bulletproof and super-fast," Jeremy tells him. "Who knows what other kind of powers he's got?"

"Well, I guess we should be thankful we have a few powers of our own," Josh says with a smirk. He walks over to a security monitor showing the occupants of a holding cell. There are two people in it: Jonathan and Martha Kent.

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Later that evening, at Metropolis General Hospital, Clark Kent waits anxiously. He'd arrived several hours earlier, expecting to find his parents there. The fact that they had never shown up was causing him a great deal of concern. For the billionth time Clark gets up and walks over to the front desk.

"Look, are you..." he begins, but the orderly cuts him off.

"Mr. Kent, I promise that the moment we hear anything about your parents, you'll be the first to know," the orderly says in a reassuring - if not slightly annoyed - tone. "Now, please, sit down." Clark sighs with frustration and walks back over to his seat. On the way he passes a television monitor showing the news. He just glances at it at first, then does a double take. On the screen are pictures of his parents. He races over to the TV and turns up the volume.

"...missing since earlier this morning," the announcer is saying. "If anyone knows anything about their whereabouts, please, call us at 917-438-2791."

Clark walks over to a pay phone, puts some change in, and dials the number. The phone rings a few times before someone picks up.

"Hello?" a male voice says.

"This is Clark Kent," Clark says with barely concealed rage. "What did you do to my parents?"

"You're parents are fine, Clark," the man reassures him. "And they'll stay that way for the next eight hours. If you don't surrender to us by then..." He doesn't bother to finish his sentence.

"You hurt them, and I swear I will make you pay!" Clark isn't even bothering to conceal his rage now.

"Now, now, Clark," the man says mockingly. "As long as you do _exactly_ as we say, there'll be no need for anything to happen to them. Oh, and by the way, your parents are being kept in a secure facility that's _not_ a part of our Smallville base, so don't try and pull off some heroic rescue attempt." The man hangs up, and Clark does the same a moment later. He has a look of defeat on his face.

**End of Chapter X**

**Author's Note: So, will Clark give in to their demands, or will he find some way around them? Stay tuned for "Captivity", Chapter XI of _The Black Coats_ to find out.**


	12. Chapter XI: Captivity

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter XI: "Captivity"**

**To french-charlotte: For the record, I do have spaces between the scenes. This website, apparently, doesn't like them and edits them out. But, since you brought that to my attention, I've gone back and re-done my spaces so that they won't be taken out.**

On the outskirts of Smallville, Clark Kent super-speeds to the base of operations the Internal Threat Control set up several days ago. As he approaches the base he slows down to a normal speed, trying to avoid exposing his powers to the Black Coats. He walks towards the base, and as he does he's approached by two soldiers.

"Mr. Kent," one of them greets. "Come with us." Without another word, the two soldiers lead Clark into the base. They take him through a maze of temporary buildings, finally taking him into one. It's a prison building, with at least a dozen cells in it. The soldiers unlock one and roughly shove Clark inside. Then they close the door and walk away.

Inside his cell, Clark uses his x-ray vision to look around. In all the other cells are at least three or four scientists - and these are pretty small cells for that many people. After a few moments he stops looking around and sits down on a small, metal bench. He hangs his head.

Suddenly, there's a noise at his door. Clark looks up and uses his x-ray vision to see Josh taking off his military jacket and un-holstering his sidearm. The door is then unlocked and the colonel is shoved in. Clark glares at him as the door is locked again.

"What are you doing here?" Clark asks sharply.

"Apparently I'm your new cellmate," Josh replies.

"And, apparently, the guy in charge of the I.T.C.," Clark says.

"Where did you hear that?" Josh asks.

"Around."

"Well, it's not true." Clark just glares at him. "Look, they kidnapped Chloe to get to her father," Hammond explains. "He was asking too many questions. Then they wanted me to help keep the media off their back." He looks down sadly. "They threatened to kill Chloe if I didn't." He looks up at Clark. "I love her, Clark."

"So," Clark says, "I guess prisoners who cooperate here get fancy uniforms and guns, huh?" Josh stares at Clark in disbelief. "I know you're just putting on an act here, _colonel_! So don't bother pretending to be on my side." Josh continues to stare at Clark for a few moments.

"Fine," he says. "You're right. I am in charge here. Which means I'm the one who decides if your parents live or die." He walks towards the door. "You may be impervious to bullets, but I'm pretty sure they're not." He knocks on the door, and a guard opens it. "There'll be a guard out here at all times. If you decide you want to start cooperating, just give them a call."

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"Clark?" Lex Luthor calls out as he walks into the Kent barn. "You out here, Clark?" The corporate billionaire walks up the steps to Clark's loft. He looks around and sighs. "Where are you, Clark?" he mutters.

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"I'm glad you chose to cooperate," Joshua Hammond tells Clark Kent as he leads him out of the cell building.

"Don't have much choice, do I?" Clark says. Before Josh can respond to that, Clark asks, "So, what do you want from me?"

"Well, for starters, we want a DNA sample," Josh tells him as they walk. "Before coming here to Smallville, my department spent over a month analyzing the DNA of certain individuals currently staying at the Belle Reve Mental Institution. Now, they all had special abilities, but none of them had a hide so thick that a state-of-the-art tranquilizer dart can't penetrate it." The colonel pulls out a cotton swab. "And since your skin is like steel..." He trails off and motions for Clark to open his mouth. Clark does so, and Josh swabs his throat. "There, now," he says. "Let's get this to the lab."

"Is that it?" Clark asks as they start walking again.

"Of course not, Clark," Josh tells him. "Of course not."

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Across town, at the Luthor Mansion, Lex Luthor walks into his study to find Major Jeremy Woodward waiting for him.

"Major," Lex greets. "I wasn't expecting you."

"And I wasn't expecting to be deceived, Lex," the major replies. "The documentation you provided on your experiments with the meteor rocks was incomplete."

"And how would you know that?" Lex asks with a smirk as he sits down behind his desk.

"We're the government," the major replies. "It's our business to know."

"Is it also your business to kidnap corporate scientists?" Lex asks. Jeremy looks surprised for a moment. "I'll tell you what," Lex says, "I'll give you complete records of my company's experiments on the meteor rocks if you return my people."

"You're playing a very dangerous game, Lex," Woodward tells him.

"Don't threaten me, major," the young Luthor says coldly. "I know you can't touch me."

"Oh, really?"

"My family has too many influential ties to the government," Lex explains. "Those connections keep me safe."

"They didn't seem to keep your father safe," the major says.

"My father being in jail right now was _my_ doing," Lex tells him. "Without my help the government wouldn't have been able to lay a hand on him." Lex turns on his computer. "Now, if you'll excuse me, major, I have a lot of work to do."

"Of course, Mr. Luthor," the major says before turning and walking out the door.

**End of Chapter XI**

**Author's Note: So, what else does the I.T.C. want from Clark? And is Lex as safe as he thinks? Stay tuned for "Records", Chapter XII of _The Black Coats_, to find out.**


	13. Chapter XII: Records

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter XII: "Records"**

In the Black Coats' compound, Clark Kent is led into a research lab by Joshua Hammond. As soon as they arrive, Josh hands the cotton swap with Clark's DNA on it to a lab tech. Then he walks over to a computer.

"You know, Clark," Josh says, "with all the resources at our disposal, I thought we'd be able to figure out these meteor rocks pretty quick." He turns to look at Clark. "I was wrong. We've been in this town studying these rocks for over a week and we've made absolutely no progress."

"I'm _so_ sorry," Clark says sarcastically.

"Ah, don't worry, Clark," Josh tells him with a smile. "Now that you're here, I think we're on our way towards a major breakthrough."

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At the Luthor Mansion, Lex Luthor is in the middle of a phone call with Lana Lang when one of his servants walks in.

"Lana, are you sure you haven't heard anything?" Lex asks. There's a pause while he listens to Lana's reply. "I understand." He hangs up his phone and turns to the servant. "Daryl, Clark Kent has gone missing," the billionaire says. "I want him found."

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Luthor," Daryl replies.

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"So, let me get this straight," Clark says to Josh. "You want me to break into LuthorCorp and steal all their records on meteor rock research?"

"We know that LuthorCorp is years ahead of us in their understanding of these rocks," Josh explains. "Lex Luthor isn't being very cooperative, and all the LuthorCorp scientists we've been able to get our hands on apparently don't know very much."

"Which is why you want me to break into a secure corporate building and steal valuable documents," Clark tells him.

"Exactly," Josh replies. "We know you have a few... abilities. Put them to use."

"How does being bulletproof help me get into LuthorCorp without being seen?" Clark asks.

"First of all, we don't care if you're seen or not," Josh tells him. "Secondly, we know that you can also move at speeds equivalent to Mach Two. And I'm pretty sure there are other things you can do that we don't know about."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then I guess we have a problem." Josh's expression becomes cold. "And if _we_ have a problem, your parents have a problem. Understand?" Clark nods.

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In a maximum-security federal penitentiary, Lionel Luthor is escorted into the visitors area. He had been locked up there several weeks ago, having been convicted of murder, insurance fraud, and so many other charges. His son, Lex, had been instrumental in the conviction.

Now a guard roughly shoves Lionel into a chair in front of a bulletproof glass window. Lionel picks up a telephone receiver.

"Hello," he says. "I don't think I know you."

"You don't," Major Woodward tells him. "My name is Major Jeremy Woodward. I'm here regarding your son."

"Well, now, what has Lex done now?" Lionel asks.

"He has deliberately avoided providing us with information necessary for an operation that is vital to national security," the major explains.

"Well, now, that's interesting," Lionel says.

"In light of your son's interference, we've decided to take matters into our own hands," the major tells him.

"And you want my help," Lionel finishes.

"Any assistance you give us would be most appreciated," the major says.

"Well, if that 'appreciation' is given in the form of a transfer to a regular prison," Mr. Luthor tells him, "then I'd be delighted to help you."

**End of Chapter XII**

**Author's Note: A bit short, but it got its point across. So, what will the I.T.C. get in exchange for Lionel's transfer? Will Clark go through with the heist? Is Lex going to figure out what happened to Clark? And if he does, what's he going to do about it? Stay tuned for some answers in "Theft", Chapter XIII of _The Black Coats_.**


	14. Chapter XIII: Theft

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter XIII: "Theft"**

On the outskirts of Smallville, in the Black Coats' compound, Clark Kent is briefed on his upcoming mission.

"Your target is here," Joshua Hammond says, pointing at a room on a LuthorCorp blueprint. "It's a secure vault where LuthorCorp keeps all its sensitive files."

"And how do you expect me to get into it?" Clark asks. Josh laughs and tosses the young man a folder, which Clark opens. "What's this?"

"The results of your DNA test," Josh explains.

"It's just a blank piece of paper," Clark tells him.

"Exactly." Josh walks up to Clark. "That's what we found. Nothing. At least, nothing we could recognize as DNA. Your external appearance may be human, but genetically you're a completely different creature." He smiles. "Clark, you've already demonstrated several... interesting powers. And I'm willing to be you have a few more up your sleeve." Clark is silent. "Either way, if you're not back here in exactly thirty-six hours with the documents I want, your parents will be killed immediately." Clark glares at Josh, barely controlling his anger. He throws the folder down on the table and storms out of the room.

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Metropolis. It is to Smallville what New York City is to the entire state of New Jersey. A massive, sprawling metropolitan area that is the heart of the surrounding rural and suburban communities. It is also the headquarters of LuthorCorp, one of the world's leading fertilizer corporations.

This particular night had Lex Luthor finishing up a review of his Metropolis plant. He gets into his expensive Mercedes and speeds off down the city streets. It doesn't take him long to reach the LuthorCorp building, where he plans to spend most of that night.

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Across the street from the LuthorCorp building in Metropolis, Clark Kent watches Lex's car pull into the garage. Clark stands there thinking for a moment, then takes off at super-speed.

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In the dark and empty hallways of the LuthorCorp headquarters, Clark Kent super-speeds towards his destination.

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In his office, Lex Luthor sits down behind his desk to go over the latest quarterly projections.

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Several floor down from Lex, Clark reaches the vault. Still moving at super-speed, he reaches out with gloved hands and starts to spin the combination dial, using his x-ray vision to see the tumblers fall into place. He unlocks the door, twists the handle, and pulls the thick, steel door open.

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In his office, Lex Luthor's work is interrupted by a beeping from his computer. He looks at the screen, where the message 'Vault Opened' is flashing on his screen. He pushes a few buttons. The image on the screen is replaced with security monitors from that area. Lex rewinds them a few seconds, then plays the recording. He sees a blur shoot towards the vault, stop for a moment, then the vault door is practically thrown open and the blur shoots inside it. Lex reaches over and presses a button on his desk.

"Security, I think we have a situation at the records vault," Lex says calmly.

"We'll get right on it, Mr. Luthor," a man's voice says from a speaker on the desk.

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In the LuthorCorp records vault, Clark Kent is surrounded by file cabinets. He opens them one draw at a time (still in super-speed), frantically searching for the files he's been sent for.

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LuthorCorp security personnel begin to make their way towards the vault.

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Finally, Clark finds a series of folders, all marked 'Smallville Meteor Studies'. He grabs them and starts to shove them in a bag he had slung over his shoulder.

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LuthorCorp security arrives at the open vault, guns drawn. Inside they see almost every draw in the file cabinets open, and several files are lying on the floor. There is no sign of Clark Kent.

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On the streets outside of LuthorCorp, Clark Kent super-speeds away.

**End of Chapter XIII**

**Author's Note: Well, interesting, huh? So, will Lex figure out that Clark was behind the break-in? (Of course not) What is the I.T.C. going to do now? Will Clark get away from them? Stay tuned for some answers in "Secrets", Chapter XIV of _The Black Coats_.**

**Additional Note: As it stands, there are only four more chapters left. That could change, of course, but I thought I'd give you guys a heads-up.**


	15. Chapter XIV: Secrets

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter XIV: "Secrets"**

"So," Lex Luthor begins to say, "You arrived at the vault, only to find no one there?"

"That's correct, Mr. Luthor," the head of security tells his boss.

"And there's no possible way he could have gotten out without passing your men?" Lex asks.

"No, sir." The security director has a look of discomfort on his face.

"Then how do you explain the theft of classified documents from the vault?" Lex asks him.

"I can't, sir," the other man admits.

"In that case I think you should go figure it out," Lex tells him.

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On the outskirts of Smallville, Clark Kent super-speeds to the Black Coats' compound. Slung over his back is a bag filled with the files he just stole from LuthorCorp.

As Clark approaches the compound, he slows down to a normal jog. As he does this, he's spotted by two I.T.C. soldiers, who proceed to escort him into the base.

In the command center of the I.T.C. base, a smile forms on Colonel Joshua Hammond's face as he sees Clark walk in.

"Ah, Clark," the colonel greets. "I assume you have what I asked for?" Clark tosses the bag down on a nearby table. Josh motions for another soldier to check it out.

"Good work, Clark," Josh tells him. "And in just seven hours. Not bad, Kent." He turns to the soldier looking over the contents of Clark's bag. "Take those to the lab," he instructs.

"Yes, sir," the soldier replies. He picks up the bag and walks out of the room.

"What about my parents?" Clark asks.

"What about them?" Josh's tone is unconcerned.

"I did what you wanted," Clark tells him, "now let them go."

"Clark, I never said anything to make you believe I was going to do that." The colonel chuckles. "You've proven to be too valuable an asset to let go, Kent." He pats Clark on the back before motioning to the two soldiers who brought Clark into the base. "Take Mr. Kent back to his cell." The soldiers grab Clark, and the young man lets them drag him away.

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Out in the cornfields of Smallville, Joshua Hammond is hard at work. He has already dug a hole deeper than he is, and he's still at it. He looks up and sees the sun beginning to rise. Newly motivated, his digging becomes more frantic. Finally his shovel hits something hard. A few moments later, he has completely uncovered a stone slab buried deep beneath the earth. He uses his shovel to pry off a piece of the slab, revealing a hidden compartment. In that compartment is yet another stone with Kryptonian symbols on it. Josh reaches down and picks it up.

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Back at the base, Josh Hammond, his cloths covered in dirt, walks towards the building that his quarters are in. As he rounds the corner he walks straight into Major Woodward.

"Whoa, man," the major exclaims. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Josh tells his friend.

"Well, I was supervising the analysis of our young Mr. Kent's 'DNA' sample," Jeremy says. "You know how I'm into that kind of stuff."

"Yeah," Josh says sarcastically. "Believe me, I know." Jeremy gives the other man a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"So, what're you doing up?" the major asks.

"Just going for a walk," Josh tells him.

"In a mud puddle?" Jeremy asks, indicating the state of the colonel's cloths.

"I slipped down a hill," Josh explains.

"Clutz." Josh punches Jeremy's arm. "Ow! That actually hurt, man!"

"I know." Josh breaks out laughing, and Jeremy shakes his head.

"See you first shift," Jeremy tells him.

"See you then." The two men go their separate ways. As he walks through the compound, Josh breathes a sigh of relief.

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In his cell, Clark Kent ponders the hopelessness of his situation. As long as his parents are locked away somewhere by the I.T.C., there is nothing he can do. Of course, if he hangs around there long enough, Clark could learn the location of his parents. Then he can go off, rescue them, and lie low somewhere.

But even if he did do that, they'd spend the rest of their lives running from the I.T.C. Their lives would truly be over.

Clark sighs with frustration. His situation was starting to drive him crazy.

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In Josh Hammond's quarters, the colonel reaches under his bed for the first three crystals. He lays them out on his bed, and puts the crystal he just found down with them. He stares at them for a moment. Then he picks up two crystals and connects them. Apparently the oddly-shaped edges were designed to connect the crystals together.

With the first two crystals combined, Josh Hammond proceeds to connect the third and fourth crystals. Now what was four irregularly-shaped crystals is now one big crystal. The crystal itself looks like four small cubes connected with one another.

As Josh holds it in his hand, the crystal starts to glow. It floats out of his hands and hovers in the air before him. The colonel smiles as the glow of the crystal becomes brighter. Suddenly a beam of energy shoots out from the crystal and hits Josh in the stomach. He's thrown across his room and pinned to the wall as more and more energy flows from the crystal into his body.

**End of Chapter XIV**

**Author's Note: Well, another Kryptonian crystal. There seems to be a lot of those on Earth. So, what will the crystal do to Josh? Will Clark escape from the I.T.C.? And will Lex's security chief figure out what happened at the vault? Find out in "The Cortex", Chapter XV of _The Black Coats_.**

**Additional Note: I just finished "Epilogue", the last chapter of this story. It'll be posted in a few days. Just thought you might like to know.**


	16. Chapter XV: The Cortex

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter XV: "The Cortex"**

In the early years of the twelfth century, a Christian monastery was hit by "fire from the heavens". When the smoke cleared, the monks found a metal container with four crystals inside. They called the crystals the "Holy Cortex", decided that they must be a gift from god, and kept them a secret for five-hundred years. After such time, this particular order migrated to the New World so that they could escape the politics of European civilization. They traveled west over the Appalachian Mountains and settled deep in the central plains of the Americas. When they arrived there, the monks buried the crystals around their land to keep them safe. The only record of their existence was a map, upon which they transcribed the holy symbols found on the crystals.

Less than fifty years later, the monastery was destroyed by a tornado. When American settlers arrived there nearly half-a-century later, they noted the ruins of the monastery. One of the settlers found the map, and had it sent to a collector in New York. For the next century the map passed from one private collector to the next. Finally, during the civil war, it ended up in the hands of Charles Grayson, a wealthy man living in Mississippi. As the war went on, Union General Sherman cut a bloody swath through that state, destroying Grayson's home and his possessions. It was only pure chance that during all this, Grayson had been at a friend's house, showing off his latest acquisition. As the town was destroyed by Union troops, he fled with the map. Eventually he reached Little Rock, Arkansas, where he lived for seven years in moderate comfort. After dying of liver disease, Grayson's possessions were auctioned off. The map, which was thought to be a child's drawing, was sold for two cents, which wasn't even a lot of money back in the 1800s. The man who bought it was John Harrison, a local farmer. He thought it'd look good in his kitchen, so he had it framed and hung up.

Several years later, a wealthy businessman came through town. He was trying to buy out some of the farmers land for a new factory. The businessman met with Harrison, and, to his surprise, saw the map there. Having been entertained at the Grayson estate on numerous occasions, the man knew that the map was a priceless artifact. He attempted to buy it, but John Harrison was a shrewd man. He knew that if this wealthy man wanted a child's drawing, then it was more than a child's drawing. Realizing that he wasn't going to get the map for less than it was worth, the businessman stormed out of town.

Several days later, the house and everyone in it burned to the ground in a fire. The businessman was the first person there after the tragedy. He oversaw the cleanup of the house.

But the map didn't end up in the businessman's private collection. After the fire, no one could find it. There were rumors, of course. Word got out that the businessman wanted what became known as the "Grayson Map". Supposedly it led to wealth beyond a man's wildest dreams, the treasure of Charles Grayson. Now, Grayson was wealthy, but the legends made him out to be a billionaire, who stashed all his money away in a secret location. This local folklore continued for over a century, and was still prevalent when the Internal Threat Control came to the town in 1999

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In the year 2004, the Internal Threat Control has set up shop in the small town of Smallville, Kansas. In their compound, on the outskirts of town, Joshua Hammond has just assembled the Holy Cortex found by the monks nine centuries ago. He is pinned against his wall right now, and energy is being pumped into his body.

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In the I.T.C.'s command center, one of the soldiers notices an unusual reading on his computer.

"Uh... sir?" the soldier says. "I'm detecting a massive spike on just about every EM frequency." The officer on duty walks over to him.

"Where is it coming from?" the officer asks. The soldier presses a few buttons on his computer.

"Colonel Hammond's quarters, sir," the soldier tells his superior.

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Outside of Colonel Hammond's quarters, a contingent of I.T.C. soldiers take up defensive positions. They're wearing black pants, red shirts, black hats, gloves, sunglasses, and the black coats that gave them their nickname. All around them klaxon alarms blare. As they get ready, Major Jeremy Woodward walks over to them.

"What the hell is going on here, Lieutenant?" the major asks.

"We have an unknown energy spike coming from the colonel's quarters, sir," the lieutenant replies.

"How unknown are we..." Jeremy starts to say. He's cut off by the sound of a door being thrown open. Everyone turns to face the door to Josh's quarters, and the soldiers take their weapons off safe mode. Josh Hammond takes a shaky step forward, leaning on the doorframe for support. He looks terribly pale, and his blonde hair has turned an eerie shade of gray.

"Josh?" Jeremy says, astonished at his friend's appearance. "What happened to you?"

Josh tries to say something, but all he manages to do is grunt. The colonel falls to his knees.

"Josh!" Jeremy exclaims as he runs to his friend's side.

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In his cell, Clark's self-pitying reminiscences are interrupted by the klaxons. He stands up, the expression on his face showing his concern. Clark walks over to the door to his cell and tears it off the hinges. With the door out of the way, he super-speeds off.

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Clark arrives at Josh's quarters several moments later. He peers around a corner and sees Jeremy kneeling next to a sick-looking Josh. Clark stops peeking around the corner and uses his x-ray vision to see through the building in front of him, and his super-hearing to listen in on their conversation.

"Josh?" Jeremy asks, obviously concerned for his friend. "Josh, what's going on?"

"I-I found it!" Josh tells him. "I _assembled_ it!"

Clark's eyes widen. Through his x-ray vision, he sees electrical currents course through Josh's body. The currents become brighter and brighter, and they start to focus in Josh's right hand. The same hand he had just placed on Jeremy's shoulder. Realizing what was about to happen, Clark super-speeds past the crowd of soldiers, grabs Jeremy, and pulls him away. Clark stops running, and Jeremy glares at him.

"What the hell do you think you're...!" he starts to say, but is cut off by a loud crackling sound from Josh. Jeremy looks over and sees a massive bolt of blue lightning shoot out from Josh's right hand and strike a nearby building.

Clark uses his x-ray vision again. Josh's body is ten times more electrified than it was before, and the energy is coalescing in a dozen different places this time. Clark returns to normal vision and turns to Jeremy.

"You need to get everyone out of here right now!" Clark tells him.

"Why the hell should I listen to you?" Jeremy demands. Before Clark can answer, a dozen bolts of lightning shoot out from Josh's body, striking half the soldiers gathered before him. In a matter of moments they're burnt to a crisp.

"_That's_ why!" Clark tells him. "Now get them out of here!" Knowing that Clark is right, Jeremy runs over to his men.

"Everyone, get out of here!" he orders.

As Jeremy takes care of the soldiers, Clark uses his x-ray vision on Jeremy again. He sees that Jeremy is rapidly building up to another lightning strike, and the energy is coalescing in twice as many places as last time. As Clark stares at the colonel, his attention is captured by a glowing he can see through the wall of Josh's quarters. It's the Cortex. Clark super-speeds into Josh's quarters. With his x-ray vision he can see how the crystals were combined, so it doesn't take him long to disconnect the fourth crystal. When he does, the crystals stop glowing. Clark turns to leave the room, but spots the map on Josh's desk. He recognizes the Kryptonian symbols on it, and decides to take it with him.

Clark steps out of Josh's quarters and is knocked to the ground by a bolt of lightning. As Clark hits the ground he looks over at Josh, who is releasing a lightning bolt every few seconds. It's happening so much that the air around him is becoming electrified. In the midst of all this, Jeremy walks towards his friend.

"Oh my god!" he exclaims. Clark uses his x-ray vision to check out the colonel. He sees that the energy is far more erratic than it was before, but it is still there. After a few seconds it all starts to coalesce in the center of his chest. Clark looks over at Jeremy, who's walking towards his friend.

Seeing Jeremy's imminent danger, Clark super-speeds to him and pushes him out of the way. One final lightning bolt, more powerful than any of the others, shoots out of Josh. The bolt barely misses Jeremy and Clark, destroying a nearby building instead. Josh collapses to the ground. Jeremy picks himself off the ground and runs over to his friend.

"Josh!" he exclaims as he reaches the fallen colonel. Josh looks up at Jeremy, a look of madness in his eyes.

"Nice day," he says. "Oh, yes, very nice day. With birds, and trees, and sun, and sky, and..." Josh keeps on babbling as Jeremy stares down at him in despair.

**End of Chapter XV**

**Author's Note: So, what exactly just happened? Is this the end of the I.T.C.? What's going to happen to Josh and Clark? Stay tuned, because its almost over. "Endings", Chapter XVI of _The Black Coats_ and the next-to-last chapter, is coming soon.**


	17. Chapter XVI: Endings

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Chapter XVI: "Endings"**

Three days after the mysterious electrical surge in Smallville, which knocked out power for half the town, Jeremy Woodward opens the door to Clark Kent's cell and walks inside. The two men spend the next few moments staring at each other. Finally, Jeremy breaks the silence.

"I don't know what to do about you, Clark," he admits. "On one hand, the I.T.C.'s policy on potential threats is very clear..."

"I'm not a threat," Clark tells him.

"But you could be, Clark," Jeremy says. "Anyone with the amount of power you have is a potential threat." He sighs. "But you saved my life, and probably the lives of everyone in this base. An analysis of our scans of Josh when he was like that... well, we're pretty sure the damage would have been severe."

"So what are you going to do?" Clark asks. Jeremy looks down for a moment, then makes eye contact with Clark.

"Promise me you won't cause any government trouble?" he asks.

"I promise."

"Then, Clark Kent, you're free to go," the major says.

"And my parents?" Clark asks.

"They'll be released in less than a day," Jeremy tells him. Clark stands up and walks over to the major. The young farm boy extends his hand.

"Thank you, Major Woodward," Clark says sincerely. Jeremy shakes Clark's hand.

"You're welcome, Mr. Kent." The major turns to leave.

"So what's going to happen to Smallville?" Clark asks. Jeremy turns around.

"It's going to be put under indefinite observation," the major explains. "That's military-speak for 'there's nothing we can do about it, so we're gonna leave it alone'." Clark smiles, and Jeremy leaves the room.

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At the Kansas State Penitentiary, Lionel Luthor is escorted by a quartet of guards to an armored car. Before they get there, Lex Luthor blocks their path.

"Excuse me, officers," Lex says, pulling a piece of paper out of his coat pocket. "This is an order from the Kansas State Supreme Court terminating the transfer of Lionel Luthor to a standard prison." He hands the document to one of the officers. The officer nods.

"Looks all right to me," he says. "All right, Luthor. Back to your cell." Lionel doesn't bother saying anything. He just glares at Lex as he's escorted back to his cell.

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At the Kent Farm, Clark Kent watches happily as his parents drive up in their truck.

"Mom! Dad!" he exclaims as he runs over and gives them both big hugs. "I'm glad you're alright."

"We're fine, son," Jonathan Kent says. "Thanks to you, I assume?"

"No, actually," Clark tells him. "It's Major Woodward we should thank. He went out on a limb to get us released."

"Well, I guess they weren't all bad, were they?" Martha Kent tells her son with a smile.

"So, what exactly happened, son?" Jonathan asks.

"Well," Clark begins as they walk towards the house, "after they told me they had you, I allowed them to lock me up. Then they had me get them some files from LuthorCorp, which I did." He pauses for a moment. "Then, uh, Colonel Hammond tried to assemble a Kryptonian artifact."

"Oh my god," Martha exclaims. "What was it?"

"Well, according to the symbols on this," Clark pulls out the map from his pocket, "it was a failed experiment. Now, the symbols have worn off a bit, so I'm not quite sure what the experiment was supposed to do, but apparently it was so dangerous that they had to send it off into space."

"And it just _happened_ to crash on Earth?" Jonathan asks. Clark shrugs.

"I guess so," Clark says.

"Well, with everything that's happened so far, I'm starting to think Earth was chosen as a Kryptonian dumping ground," Jonathan says as they walk into the house.

"So what's going to happen to that colonel?" Clark's mom asks as she turns on the lights in the kitchen. Clark shrugs.

"No one really knows," he says.

"Well, he did kinda screw up a big-time military operation," Jonathan says. "I doubt they're just gonna let him off with a slap on the back."

"Yeah, well, he's claiming that he's been compelled to find the crystals ever since getting his hands on this map." Clark places the map on the table. "And since he's been kind of incoherent ever since the incident, Major Woodward thinks that he'll just be shipped off and locked up in a government facility for the rest of his life."

"So where is he now?" Martha asks.

"Belle Reve," Clark tells her. "They're holding him there until he can be transferred."

"Let's hope he's transferred soon," Mrs. Kent tells her son. "I want that man gone and out of our lives."

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In the office of the Smallville High Torch, Chloe Sullivan is hard at work on the next issue when Lana Lang knocks on the door. Chloe looks over and sees who it is.

"Lana, come on in," Chloe tells her. Lana walks over.

"'Student Abducted by Government Agents,'" Lana reads.

"Catchy, isn't it?" Chloe says with a laugh. She has that same, goofy smile she has whenever she's really nervous.

"Oh, yeah," Lana tells her. "But won't they try and arrest you for printing it?"

"The people have a right to know." Chloe is close to tears.

"Chloe, I agree with you, but..." Lana starts to say, but Chloe cuts her off.

"Lana, these guys are bad news!" Tears start to form in Chloe's eyes. "People... people need to be... they need to be warned, ok?"

"Chloe," Lana says with concern, "what did they do to you?" Chloe doesn't say anything. "What did _he_ do to you?" Lana asks intuitively.

"Oh, nothing," Chloe says. "He just pretended to be everything I've ever wanted, used me, then betrayed me! No big deal!"

"Chloe," Lana says soothingly, "it _is_ a big deal." She walks over and rests a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "You thought you'd found someone, and it turned out to be an act. That's got to hurt."

"You have no idea, Lana," Chloe says between sobs. "You have no idea."

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In the Belle Reve Sanitarium, Josh Hammond is led down a corridor in a straightjacket by two guards. As they walk they're intercepted by Jeremy Woodward.

"For what it's worth, Josh, I'm sorry this had to happen to you," Jeremy tells his friend. Josh makes a few noises, and Jeremy rests a hand on his friend's shoulder before turning and walking away.

The guards lead Josh into an elevator. The moment the doors close, Josh's eyes, which were half-closed, shoot open. His arms, which appeared to be restrained by the straightjacket, unfurl, a knife in each hand. He stabs both his guards before they can react.

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The elevator reaches the ground floor a few seconds later. To the surprise of the people waiting to get on it, the doors don't open, and the elevator goes back up. Several minutes later, it comes back down, and the doors open, allowing a single guard to walk out of it. He walks through the lobby and out the front door.

**End of Chapter XVI**

**Author's Note: Interesting plot twist. So, did Josh really go crazy, or was it just an act? Stay tuned, for the last answers will be given in "Epilogue", the final chapter of _The Black Coats_.**


	18. Epilogue

**_The Black Coats_  
Written By: The Ascended Ancient  
Epilogue**

In the office of the Smallville High Torch, Clark Kent walks over to where Chloe Sullivan is hard at work on her computer.

"Hey," Clark says in a comforting tone of voice. He rests a hand on her shoulder. "How're you holding up?"

"With the guy who..." Chloe trails off for a moment. "With Josh still at large? Not so good."

"Chloe," Clark tells her. "I know this guy hurt you, but you need to move on."

"Yeah, and believe me, I'm trying," Chloe tells him. "But... I just can't forget him, Clark."

"Chloe, he manipulated you." Clark wraps his arms around Chloe and pulls her into a big hug. "And he really hurt you. It's going to take a while to move on, but you will, ok?" Chloe nods wordlessly.

Suddenly, Chloe's computer goes, "You've got mail." Chloe walks over to check it out.

"Oh, it's, uh, addressed to you, Clark," she tells him. Clark walks over and sits down in front of the computer. Chloe leans over his shoulder as he opens the e-mail.

"Chloe," Clark tells her. "Do you mind?"

"Sorry." Chloe walks away from the computer.

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Dear Clark,

I must say, against my better judgment, I felt the need to thank you for all you did. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now. Seriously, I felt it coming. If you hadn't disassembled the Cortex when you did, I wouldn't be able to write this letter right now.  
Oh, and if you ever see him again, could you thank Jeremy too? If it wasn't for his friendship I'd have been shot the moment my power was expended. Thanks to him I had the chance to fake insanity and get a free ride out of Belle Reve and back into the world.

Oh, and please say hi to Chloe for me. Tell her that our night together was some of the most fun I've ever had in my life. She was just _so_ easy to manipulate!

One last thing, Clark: delete this e-mail as soon as you're done reading it. I don't want the government using it to track me down. And believe me, I may not be able to outrun them if the get on my trail, but I'll know they're coming. And if I find out they're onto me, I'll make sure that the whole world knows your secret.

Well, that's about it, Clark. Enjoy your life.

Sincerely,

Joshua Hammond

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"So, who's it from, Clark?" Chloe asks. Clark stares at the screen for a moment, then clicks 'delete'.

"No one, Chloe," Clark tells her. "It's junk mail.

**The End**

**Author's Note: Well, that's it. The story's over. Sorry for all of you who wanted it to go on longer, but this was how I planned to end it from the beginning. While I don't think the ending on paper was as good as the ending in my head, what did you, the readers, think of it? How was it compared to the rest of the story? Was it worth the time you spent reading each chapter?**

**You've all been great fans. I've appreciated the feedback, and I hope you'll all read some of my future works.**

**So, for now, this is The Ascended Ancient, signing off.**

**Additional Note: As some of you may already know, as I posted the last few chapters of this story, I began work on a new fanfic, _Teta Prime_. It's a _Stargate Atlantis_ story, so if you're interested please, by all means, check it out.**


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